If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I hope you realize that the majority of Heatran are specially defensive or fully offensive...also, heatran has identical defense and special defense, so it takes hits well on both sides...use low kick or brick break if you really need that fighting type attack for heatran...or nature power for earthquake over wifi for that precious 4x damage against said heatran...

Ok, they might be defensive, but most pwn the air balloon so it is good use here. Also dig is more reliable, plus is good if leech seeding/toxic, as it stalls the foe.
More counters:articuno is good as it sponges your shiftry's attacks, not hp fire, and fights with flying and ice moves. Watch out for rock slide. Be careful of dw blaziken. Its speed can double after two turns, then you are screwed.

Ok, they might be defensive, but most pwn the air balloon so it is good use here. Also dig is more reliable, plus is good if leech seeding/toxic, as it stalls the foe.
More counters:articuno is good as it sponges your shiftry's attacks, not hp fire, and fights with flying and ice moves. Watch out for rock slide. Be careful of dw blaziken. Its speed can double after two turns, then you are screwed.

Dig is NEVER a good move especially when shiftry got nature power (= earthquake) (competitively in-game it is a decent move to have till you get EQ TM)
Articuno LOL who uses him anyway and articuno normally runs defensively and that is only in NU... articuno is awful.
DW blaziken is banned... and shiftry still can get a good hit with nature power.

Shiftry can't take ANY hit after I used him you can discard the set I put of subseed it is useless whimsicott and sceptile are SO much better at it.. if not then venusaur who is more bulky.

Originally Posted by Usatoday

Why not just run a mixed shiftry with growth hp fire nature power and seed bomb

That's an option.
there are a lot of combinations in the mixed sets everyone put what he likes (or copy from smogon...)

Last edited by Ilan; 20th April 2012 at 7:07 PM.

Originally Posted by Professor Oak

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the amount of zubat in caves, and I'm not sure about the former.

Dig is NEVER a good move especially when shiftry got nature power (= earthquake) (competitively in-game it is a decent move to have till you get EQ TM)
Articuno LOL who uses him anyway and articuno normally runs defensively and that is only in NU... articuno is awful.
DW blaziken is banned... and shiftry still can get a good hit with nature power.
Shiftry can't take ANY hit after I used him you can discard the set I put of subseed it is useless whimsicott and sceptile are SO much better at it.. if not then venusaur who is more bulky.
That's an option.
there are a lot of combinations in the mixed sets everyone put what he likes (or copy from smogon...)

I love the idea of growth turning shiftry into a tank, but shiftry is a sweeper,so don't waste it.
shiftry can't learn earthquake via tm and nature power is not always earthquake
articuno is seen alot, as well as moltres, and both can cause serious damage to shiftry.
shiftry doesn't survive 1 hit without focus sash.
Ok...new setGale force
Seed bomb/bullet seed
Brick break
Sucker punch
Fake out/explosion/mega kick
Nature:adamant
Evs:4 hp,252 att,252 spd
Ability:chlorophyll
Item: life orb
Ok, here we go... set up sun,seed bomb to decimate opponents,or, bullet seed to ruin subs. Brick break for steels,sucker punch for priority STAB if foe attacking, fake out for crippling focus sashes and sturdys, explosion does its stuff,and mega kick is just a strong filler move

Body slam... that's always a given. BODY SLAM EVERYTHING! Pick pocket can be interesting. Give this thing a sash. Then take maybe life orb. Then go- Explosion was good in fourth gen, but now? Ok. Extrasensory for things like Conkledur, who expects you to switch. Any wind move that's lame. Silver wind, Air cutter, Twister, Hurricane... Oh wait, I'm sorry, YOU CAN CAUSE POWERFUL WINDSTORMS AND NOT DO THIS!? Although Hurricane isn't lame, since every Tornadus has it, I find. Subseed. Ah, the good 'ole days. Unfortunately, these days ain't them. Quick attack and Fake out are the only priority moves it gets. (No vacuum wave? What?) Power swapis ok. Better on Ninetales and executor, I find. Rollout is funny. Add rock gem, and away we go! Whirlwind should be with winds but it's a phasing move. Another nice option with the ability Pickpocket. Mega kick. To your face. Ow. Good filler on a physical set. At least, I think so. 'specially with its high heels. As a gentleman, I've learned not to mess with those.

Doubles options- Tailwind is probably the only useful wind it gets. Beat up is another nice option. Rock slide is more seen in the doubles. But hey, good move. Spite... wut? Ok, I know it seems lame, but hey, could help with some low pp moves that hurt your team. Not to mention- Trump card. Mimic. Ok, another 'seems lame' move, but use it to copy Ninetales heatwave, or another awesome move.

Apparently, I can't claim Larvesta. But who cares?
It's still the cutest bug eva!

I am The Grovyle, that friend in a high place.

The craziest battle I ever had- Toxic spikes supported baton passing team, with a Splashing Wailord. And won. You have to try it!

I love the idea of growth turning shiftry into a tank, but shiftry is a sweeper,so don't waste it.
shiftry can't learn earthquake via tm and nature power is not always earthquake
articuno is seen alot, as well as moltres, and both can cause serious damage to shiftry.
shiftry doesn't survive 1 hit without focus sash.
Ok...new setGale force
Seed bomb/bullet seed
Brick break
Sucker punch
Fake out/explosion/mega kick
Nature:adamant
Evs:4 hp,252 att,252 spd
Ability:chlorophyll
Item: life orb
Ok, here we go... set up sun,seed bomb to decimate opponents,or, bullet seed to ruin subs. Brick break for steels,sucker punch for priority STAB if foe attacking, fake out for crippling focus sashes and sturdys, explosion does its stuff,and mega kick is just a strong filler move

How growth turns shiftry into a tank? Growth rises offenses not defenses FACEPALM
nature power is ALWAYS earthquake...
Mega Kick LOL ever heard of Return (just a base 102 power normal move every pokemon get access to (based on maximum happiness) and then why use return?

@above posterBody Slam is better for Jirachi if shiftry doesn't kill it get killed.Pick Pocket takes the item doesn't switch you can't use with sash. it is useless.Explotion.. shiftry can do better than it with leaf stormFlying* shiftry isn't that good in the rain so no hurrican..Subseed can be used but not too effective whimsicott does a better job the only difference in the offensive moves shiftry have.

Shiftry get Sucker punch which is priority and it have no reason to use those weak moves or vaccum wave maybe fake out but it doesn't get U-turn or technican to use it effectively.Power Swap is a gimmick..Rollout is a really lame move competitively only works on gimmick shuckle sets.whirlwind is better saved for bulky pokemon like skarmory.Return=frustation > mega kick.. but anyway Nature Power is a better option

doubles
All the move you listed are bad except rock slide.

Actual other option:Giga Drain- it can heal off the life orb recoil but it won't do the same damage as leaf stormSubtitute it might get the chance to use it as it is fast enough but it is too frail for it.Snarl too weak to be used but it can help a teammate to set up.Low sweep same as snarlSolar Beam is good only if you know you will win the weather war which isn't always true

Last edited by Ilan; 21st April 2012 at 3:11 PM.

Originally Posted by Professor Oak

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the amount of zubat in caves, and I'm not sure about the former.

No, Moltres and Articuno's usage put together hardly breaks .2%. They are not used a lot. At all. And Nature Power will always be Earthquake in link battles or on simulators.

For future reference, you can always just check the usage stats here and move/Pokemon/ability/etc. facts on the main Smogon and Serebii sites.

Thanks, i was actually confused with the tiers.
Ok. And also I ment tank as stronger, and very hard to beat, not as in it could take lots of hits.partners. Dw nintails to set up sun. Heatran,though walls shiftry (without ground type moves) combos well,taking down pesky steels, tanglegrowth with chlorophyll works well in sun. Also,leafeon covers well with chlorophyll. Basically, chlorophyll users and fire and grass types work well.

Thanks, i was actually confused with the tiers.
Ok. And also I ment tank as stronger, and very hard to beat, not as in it could take lots of hits.partners. Dw nintails to set up sun. Heatran,though walls shiftry (without ground type moves) combos well,taking down pesky steels, tanglegrowth with chlorophyll works well in sun. Also,leafeon covers well with chlorophyll. Basically, chlorophyll users and fire and grass types work well.

The definition of a tank is taking (aka tanking) hits well & hitting the opponent hard as well...for example: heatran is a tank...skarmory is not a tank, it is a wall... shiftry is not a tank, it is a sweeper... that is all

Despite being a dark type, Shiftry is very good under the sun. Chlorophyll turns this wicked monster into a supersonic paced sweeper that very few pokemon can outrun it. Former generations, shiftry along with other chlorophyll abusers struggled to get a place in any team considering that endless sun was only viable in the uber tier and if you were not particularly strong or have something useful to do to your team, you just can't play with the big boys! That's until gen 5 and drizzletoad, droughttales were introtuced and the OU environment changed into a fast paced game relying heavily on weather conditions. With high mixed attacking stats and a speed that doubles in the sun to very high levels, shiftry is perfectly used in OU. It's movepool has everything he needs to succeed and provides him with decent coverage. it also has set up moves like growth although it will rarely find the occasion to set up. Shiftry's downside is it's large number of weaknesses and worsened more by awful defenses that makes him easily checked and countered, and the fact that weather is unreliable, losing the sun will means the end of shiftry and it's team if it doesn't have a plan B.